Make A Wish
by Book Light
Summary: Katniss has always had a special place in her heart for dandelions. Now, dandelions will have a much deeper meaning to her than ever. After all, dandelions are for those who hope and dream.


"_When you wish upon a dandelion and blow all the spores away, close your eyes, make a wish, and may they all come true some day."_

Peeta is silent as we walk towards our meadow. There is a tension in the air that I cannot quite understand. It's strange for him to be this silent when it was he who kept on insisting we go. Since I had nothing else to do, I agreed. That's what I told him. But the truth is, I don't want to feel alone anymore.

The previous citizens of District 12 have come back, little by little. Some go, some stay. Not enough to be the populous district it once was. Still, it's an improvement. It's better than before when only Peeta, Haymitch and I were the inhabitants of the ghost town. Yet, even with all the people here, I still feel lonely.

I'm not saying I am not happy with Peeta and Haymitch's presence. It's not that they are not enough.

I rarely see Haymitch. He's usually stuck in his house, drinking until he passes out. I only get to see him when he feeds the geese or should I say abuses them with seeds? It is in those moments where we have small talk and catch up with each other's lives. He returns to his self imposed house arrest when the liquor is delivered from the Capitol.

And then there's Peeta. We are practically inseparable nowadays. Only when he sleeps in his own house or when I try to hunt are we separated. The times we spend together are always happy and warm. We act as if the past never happened and nothing bad will happen tomorrow. In those times, I feel truly human. I live for those moments.

The time we spend apart is what troubles me. Every time he is not at my side, I worry. He sleeps in his own house. When I hunt he is left behind for the obvious reasons. It's necessary but I can't help feel what I feel. I never know when the past will come back and take him away. Possibly, take him away for good. We have many enemies that it's not improbable. I don't tell him this of course.

I know I could always ask Peeta to stay with me as I sleep. But I don't want to look desperate. I depend too much on him as it is and I know how hard it is for him to be with me. There are still times when he has flashbacks. He tries to hide them and inconspicuously get away but I know. There's the sudden tightening of his muscles and his smiles are too forced. At the flashbacks' worst, he simply clutches on to something until they are over. When he lets go, I see the dents caused by his tight grip that are left on the objects.

I can't ask him that. I can't make him suffer that much. I'd be too selfish to do so. I'd at least give him a peace of mind in his sleep. Plus, I don't want to be too attached even though I know it's too late. There is no guarantee that he will always stay with me. Not all promises are kept. Even if he really meant it, it doesn't mean nature will agree with him. Or he could change his mind about staying with a wrecked person like me. It's not a contract written in blood.

We continue to thread in silence and I can't help but compare his big, noisy strides to my fast and quiet steps. I glance back to see the footprints we left on the still wet grass- two pairs of footprints, one bigger than the other. One of his hands is holding a basket for our picnic. I carry the blanket. The back of his hands brush mine as they swing at our sides but he doesn't seem to notice. He's distracted by something.

People greet us every now and then as we pass by. I feel bad that I don't remember them at all. It's better this way though. There'd be too many names, too many people, too many to lose.

I see the fence about ten yards away and feel the tension growing stronger. My worries and anxieties inflate and inflate with every step we take. I can't remember anything that would bring trouble yet the tension is there. Something is bound to happen.

"Katniss, almost there." He speaks up suddenly and then goes a little ahead of me.

When we reach the meadow, bright yellow instantly blind me. I am in a field of dandelions. All my worries and stress seem to be absorbed by the little suns on the bed of green. Everywhere I look there is a splash of yellow. The site of it is breathtaking.

I turn to face Peeta and find him smiling at me.

"I wanted to go somewhere special with you. I knew you wouldn't want to get out of the district. Just my luck, dandelions started popping out here! It's not much but it's better than nothing." He tells me.

He's lying though. Recently, every time he wakes me up in the morning I find mud on his pants and little bits of soil in his nails. I didn't suspect that he was planting the meadow with dandelions. I merely thought he was attending to the primrose garden.

"Thank you. This place is absolutely wonderful." I say not bothering to tell him that I know this wasn't an accidental discovery. If he was going through the effort of lying to me, might as well not ruin his fun.

"Come on, help me set up" he requests. I lay a thin blanket over the relatively wet grass. Peeta brings out the pastries and fruits from the basket. I watch him prepare as I wait for him to finish. His eyebrows have grown back. His eyelashes have returned to their unusually long length. There are still patches of healing skin here and there. He's definitely improving.

He looks handsome today.

I blush as I realize my train of thought. Why am I thinking about this again? Is it because now I have nothing substantial to worry about?

Peeta brings me back to the real world when he sees me staring. He doesn't point it out knowing I'd hate it if he did. He casually invites me to sit on the blanket by patting the space next to him. We spend the whole day on that dandelion meadow. We eat, we tell stories, we try to catch grasshoppers, we throw a blade of grass in the wind and guess what direction it will go. When we have nothing else to do, we take a nap or simply lay in each other's arms enjoying the warmth. Looking back on it now, it was foolish for me to worry too much. Then again, the tension wasn't there for no reason. I decide that for the moment, I don't care.

I only realize how long we were there when I see the sunset. Brilliant blends of red, yellow and orange paint the sky. I instinctively look at Peeta to see if he is engrossed at looking at his favorite colors in action. To my surprise, he is staring at me. When our eyes meet, he flushes and looks down at the ground. After everything he has done, he gets embarrassed now?

"Peeta?" I ask, concern evident in my tone.

Peeta picks a dandelion from the ground and murmurs, "Did you know? Back in the old days, people used to make wishes on dandelions?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "That's kind of silly, don't you think? People don't get what they want just by wishing."

"No, not at all. You never know if it will come true."

"Do you believe in it?"

"It's worth a try."

He holds my hands in his, making me cup the dandelion.

"Close your eyes and make a wish. When you're done, blow on it and hope the spores will reach God and grant your wish" he informs me enthusiastically.

I am still skeptical about this but I know I can't refuse. Not when I see the expectant look in his face. I search deep inside my mind for something I really want but not impossible. I won't wish for Prim to come back. That would be stupid of me. I realize that there is only one thing I desire that is probable. And though I know what I want, it's saying them that's a struggle. "... I wish... you," Now I am having second thoughts about this. Can't go back now. "... would stay with me..." I stutter and manage to add "...always."

He lets out a small laugh and stops when he sees the glares I shoot at him. "You know people usually wish for things that are not within reach. You should try that some time." He says in a teasing voice but immediately warms up when he says, "I'll always be here for you. Always."

"Not all promises are kept you know." I counter. "Even if say that now, there will come day when you won't want to be stuck here with me. I'm just waiting for it you know. Yet, I still hope you won't. It would be too lonely without you..." I whisper so softly that I almost don't catch the words myself but I'm sure he did with the way he's beaming at me. "... or Haymitch or the others." I add to avoid sounding too needy.

"You forget I'm not exactly the picture of health psychologically." He flicks my nose and even though it feels humiliating, a part of me thinks it's endearing. "If we go about this logically, broken pieces plus another set of broken pieces make a whole! See? We were meant for each other." He tells me earnestly with a hint of humor. "And, you should believe. I always keep my promises. Again, always. No amount of trackerjacker venom could make me forget now. You won't be alone."

"You're too wistful, you know." I say. I don't add how the trackerjackers got him the first time and that they would probably succeed a second time.

"I'm being wistful enough for the both of us." He stares off at something far away, like there's another world ahead of him. I try to see what he sees but all I perceive is the sun that continues to sink.

He snaps his attention back and studies the little dandelion in our hands before he speaks again.

"Dandelions are incredible aren't they? Such little weeds and yet they are the ones who announce the coming of spring. They are the ones people look for when they have a wish. Dandelions have come to symbolize hope. I think that's very significant especially in our world today. Don't you think?"

I almost laugh at his cluelessness. He is so oblivious to the connection it has to him. He has been my dandelion all this time- my sliver of hope.

He blows on the dandelion, sprinkling me with spores. The breeze picks up a little, carrying the spores into the sky.

The whole world suddenly feels like it's in slow motion. Hundreds of spores float in midair and surrounds the smiling face of Peeta. The setting sun casts a soft orange on his body, highlighting his features and making his eyes shine. The image burns in my mind and memory. In that instant, I do not breathe and only feel a pang of longing in my chest.

"It's getting late. We should go before it gets too dark" I say and stand up hastily, embarrassed that I was so blatantly staring at him.

"Can we stay just a little while more?" he asks. He's fidgeting now like a person about to confess to a murder. Peeta has been acting weird today. Nevertheless, I comply and sit back down next to him and watch the sun lower and lower.

"So, what did you wish for?" I ask, uncomfortable at the silence.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah." I answer, suddenly afraid it's something I don't want to know.

He is silent again but there's a spark of determination in his beautiful blue eyes. He looks up at me and locks his eyes on mine. A blush appears on his cheeks and he starts off with a laugh. "You know they say wishes won't come true if you them out loud." He's trying to keep it light but I can see he's very nervous.

"You're teasing me." Now, I am just annoyed and curious.

"You didn't let me finish," he says. He picks another dandelion, and faces me. He rests his elbow on his folded knee but says no more.

"Hey!" Irritation and anxiety building up.

He eyes the dandelion really hard. He swallows before he speaks.

"I wished that you, ... Katniss Everdeen... would have a toasting with me." He says in a clear and hopeful voice.

"Huh?" I mutter. I don't know what he's talking about. We can always toast bread at the house.

He shakes his head and makes the tsk, tsk sound. Like I disappointed him or something.

"Come on, Katniss..." He looks directly into my eyes and I feel like melting on the spot. His gaze is so intense, so pure and so... loving.

"...I'm asking you to marry me."

Oh. That's what he meant... Oh.

"Speechless, aren't cha?" He blows the dandelion in front of my face. Some spores fly into my mouth but my mouth does not move.

He shakes his head again and turns his head up to the heavens. "God, I really wish Katniss Everdeen would give me an answer."

He's right; I can't seem to formulate any words. Instead, I have a vision of the future of us. Together. Always together. It's a different kind of promise. Not the ones that are easily broken. It's a promise that lasts a lifetime.

When I don't react at all, he picks up another dandelion and asks me if he should wish for my answer this time. He's trying to be very patient with me. He's all smiling and cheery but I can detect the faint look of dread in his eyes. He thinks I'd say no. It's silly of him to think that I could.

Unfortunately, my mouth doesn't cooperate and so does my brain. No words from me could possibly express how much I feel. So I answer him with the only way I know will convey all my feelings.I answer him with a kiss.

I tackle him to the ground and a dozen spores come out from the dandelions crushed from the impact surrounding us like rain.

This kiss is different from all the others. A kiss so warm and comforting that it feels like I'll never get tired of it. A kiss filled with hope and dreams of the future. A kiss that could give life.

When we are breathless and still giddy, Peeta asks me, "Is that a yes?"

I answer, "Always"

And he's right, I don't feel lonely anymore. Just as long as he stays by my side.

**A/N: I got the quote from a person who is called Jeremy Piatt via internet. **** This was supposed to be shorter but ideas kept popping into my head. As of now, this is a oneshot but I have a second chapter that's developing in my mind. So, we shall wait and see if inspiration hits me.**

**Constructive criticism and reviews are encouraged. No irrational hate please~**


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